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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2003
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Carroll Expects No Tax Increase
Despite State Cuts |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Despite reductions in the state-shared funds, a
reduction in the appraisals of property owned by public
utilities, and significant increases in the cost of health
insurance for county employees, no increase is anticipated
in taxes for the citizens of Carroll County.
Kenny McBride, Carroll County Executive, said the budget
committee tentatively plans to present the FY2003-2004
budget during the July 14 meeting of the Carroll County
Commission.
Reductions in the state-shared funds reduced county
receipts by $97,000 across all departments, said McBride.
A recent reappraisal of real property in the county also
reduced anticipated tax receipts from public utilities by
another $78,000. The projected budget will create a
$98,000 deficit, requiring the county to dip into its fund
balance account. McBride called the budget "very
workable." Despite the hardships placed on the county,
McBride many other Tennessee counties are facing more
severe budgetary concerns.
The county has coped with the revenue reductions by
cutting expenses as much as possible. McBride said the
county has reduced budgetary expenses by as much as
$500,000 over the past four years. One major reduction has
been in the Highway Department, where 14 fewer employees
work than just four years ago. Staff reductions have come
through attrition rather than layoffs, said McBride, who
noted the Highway Department has become more efficient
because more miles of county roads have been converted
from gravel to blacktop, and employees have better, more
efficient equipment.
The proposed budget also includes renovation to the
courthouse and jail at an estimated cost $2 million to be
amortized over several years. The jail will be enlarged to
house more female prisoners, other areas of the jail will
be renovated, and a new general sessions courtroom will be
added at the jail/law enforcement complex.
The courthouse will undergo major renovation to the two
courtrooms and judges' chambers. Restrooms and conference
rooms will be added to the second floor, and a secured
entrance for court officials will be installed.
The County also hopes to receive a grant to construct a
new county health clinic. Carroll received a $375,000
special needs grant from the State and has applied for
another grant to complete the $724,000 estimated cost of
constructing the 7,000 square-foot facility. If the grant
is approved, the County will be able to construct the new
clinic without local funds.
Carroll Academy will be fully funded, said McBride. The
State had initially decided to reduce funding to the
school by 14 percent. Local officials lobbied for the
funding to be restored. The State indicated it would
reduce funding by nine percent, then 4.5 percent, before
later agreeing to fully fund the school. Carroll Academy
is a day-treatment facility serving court-remanded
students from five counties - Carroll, Weakley, Henry,
Henderson, and Benton.
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Huntingdon Schools to Refinance
Bonds, Seeks End to Block Scheduling
- Board establishes policy to
distribute teacher pay equity and
decides to consider ending block
scheduling at the high school. |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Teachers at Huntingdon Special School District will
receive a bonus with the base amount of $800 plus $24.80
for each year of teaching as part of the pay equity
program provided by the State in accordance with the
terms of a lawsuit filed by rural school districts. At
the 7:00 a.m. Tuesday meeting, the HSSD Board approved
the distribution of $116,538 for 98 teachers on a
one-year basis with a belief that the State will decide
the allocation for distribution in future years.
HSSD stands to save $263,000 over the life of its
outstanding bonds thanks to lower interest rates. The
Board quickly and unanimously voted to refinance the
$7,500,000 in bonds through Cumberland Securities, who
will receive a one percent commission as agent for the
bonds.
Block scheduling at Huntingdon High School might be in
its final year. Director of Schools Danny Truett
received unanimous approval to his recommendation to
seek alternatives to block scheduling. The
administrators at HHS will be challenged to seek those
alternatives for possible adoption of an alternative
plan in the 2004-2005 school year.
"I don't feel like block scheduling is working for us,"
said Truett. He noted that HHS likes to develop the
total student. HHS prides itself in its homecoming
ceremonies, senior play, sports, and assemblies. Block
scheduling is not conducive to some of those activities.
Truett anticipates problems if the school continues with
block scheduling while recognizing the fact that a
transition to another schedule will not be easy.
The board approved the hiring of Rachel Smothers at the
HPS, Jamie Miller at HMS, and Rick Wallace and April
Davis at HHS. Lynn Bailey transferred from the HMS
Library to teach HHS English and Deanna Smith assumed
the position as HMS Librarian.
The resignations of Rebecca Bates and Kristina Buttrey
were noted. Ms. Bates relocated to Martin and Ms.
Buttrey to Paris.
In other business, the Board:
*approved an increase by 25 cents hourly for
non-certified personnel.
*authorized Truett to negotiate with UTM concerning the
amount of rent to be charged for extension class at
Huntingdon school.
*heard from Stephanie Smith whose twin girls are
entering Kindergarten. Mrs. Smith wants the girls to be
in the same classroom for the first year. She provided
the Board with written research information indicating
the merits of both girls being in the same classroom.
Currently, the girls have been assigned to separate
classrooms to which Mrs. Smith has addressed HPS
Principal Angie Bunn and Truett about the issue. She
asked the Board to consider the matter.
*a proposed attendance incentive program for teachers
was dropped after Truett indicated some resistance by
teachers to the proposal. |
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Pringles Chips Dumped in Truck Wreck
in McKenzie |
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Nine thousand packages of Pringles potato chips were
spilled when a tractor-trailer overturned near McKenzie
on Thursday, June 19 at 2:25 p.m. According to a report
filed by THP Sgt. Garry L. Thedford, the
tractor-trailer, driven by Marshall D. Brown, 24, of
McKenzie was traveling on Rochelle Store Road when Brown
failed to negotiate a turn causing the truck to hit a
guardrail, overturn, and skid on the truck's side across
Fairview Church Road, strike another guardrail, and fall
into a deep ravine. Mr. Brown received only minor
injuries, for which he did not seek treatment.
The truck had just departed the 363,000 square-foot
warehouse in the former Murray Outdoor Products building
on Rochelle Store Road, McKenzie. Proctor and Gamble of
Jackson is temporarily warehousing Pringles potato chips
in the building after the tornado destroyed the Jackson
warehouse in May.
Brad Hurley, President of the Carroll County Chamber of
Commerce, said the warehouse is being leased on a
short-term basis and is still being marketed for sale.
McKenzie Fire Department was summoned to the scene as
well as Carroll County Emergency Management Director
Janice Newman because of a minor fuel spill.
Crews from D&D Wrecker Service of McKenzie said as many
as 18 men assisted in unloading the trailer. Two
wreckers- Class B and C - lifted the truck from the
ravine after it was unloaded. The crew spent 12 hours on
the scene, said David Ferguson, co-owner of the wrecker
service.
The spilled chips were destined to Jackson Wal-Mart
before the accident. A warehouse spokesman said a
separate dispatch from the warehouse filled the order. |
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McKenzie School, Teachers Agree on
Salary |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Negotiations between the McKenzie Special School
District Board of Education and the McKenzie Education
Association produced five items of agreement during a
2.5 hour session Monday.Bargaining units agreed on
health insurance, salary equity distribution, bus duty
pay, salary, and direct deposit of payroll checks.
MSSD agreed to pay 55 percent of both family and
individual major medical insurance for certificated
personnel. That's an increase from the current rate of
50 percent for families and 54 percent for individuals.
The State, through the Basic Education Plan (BEP)
provides funding for an amount equal to 45 percent of
the insurance cost.
Jo Elam, spokesman for the bargaining team for the
McKenzie Education Association, said that the school
receives the 45 percent of insurance from the state
whether or not the certified personnel choose to
participate in the school's insurance plan.
Additionally, the school has several husband and wives
who are employed by MSSD and are on the family plan.
That combination also generates some insurance savings
for the school district.
Jim Ward, Director of Schools, said the school has 100
certificated personnel but the State only appropriates
funds for 87, based on a formula concerning the number
of students.
MEA had originally asked for 70 percent co-pay by MSSD.
Ward said the 70 percent co-pay would cost the school an
additional $80,000 annually while a 60 percent co-pay
would cost the school $42,000.
Ruth Carroll, chairman of the MSSD Board of Education,
said the 60- or 70-percent rate of co-pay would trigger
a tax increase. "We don't think the public can stand
it," said Carroll of a tax increase. The insurance
renews in January, 2004. The cost of that increase is
not known. In agreeing with the 55 percent co-pay, Mrs.
Carroll said the proposed budget for new technology or
instructional supplies will have to be reduced to
provide the additional insurance co-pay.
Ms. Elam noted that the Wal-Mart store in Huntingdon had
generated more tax revenue than expected.
Ward countered that while sales tax collections were
better an expected from Wal-Mart, the school's
anticipated revenues from investments were down because
of lower interest rates.
The State has proposed a "pay equity" amount of $120,000
in the first year for certificated personnel at MSSD as
settlement to a lawsuit brought by the "rural" school
districts to achieve pay equity between urban and rural
school systems. The MSSD Board proposed dividing the
proceeds equally. Elam said the equity pay should be
indexed according to the current years of service
schedule because teachers with more longevity have
worked in an "inequitable" situation for years. The
across-the-board approach rewards all teachers equally,
regardless of years of tenure. The MEA agreed that all
certificated teachers would share equally in this one
year compromise. Each teacher is estimated to receive
$1,068 in the 2003-2004 year.
All certificated personnel will receive a $400 bonus in
July instead of the traditional three percent increase
on the local portion of their pay. The MEA agreed to the
proposal after Ward explained that the one-time bonus
provides more money than the traditional method of
providing pay raises.
Teachers will receive $8.00 hourly - up from $7.00
hourly - to supervise students during bus duty. MEA had
requested a raise to $10 hourly.
All paychecks will be issued by direct deposit in the
future. MSSD had requested the change in the method of
payment eliminating the traditional paper check.
Items to be negotiated include privacy of employee
records and language concerning vehicle liability. Ward
said the school shall provide secondary liability
insurance on an employee's automobile while the employee
is in the act of conducting school business. The
owner/operator shall provide primary insurance on the
automobile. Also, Ward said that employee records will
not be released to the MEA to comply with standard
privacy laws. The release will be granted only after the
employee approves such a release or by court-order. MEA
indicated the only way that it can police contract
provisions is for the president of the MEA to have
access to those records.
A legal opinion is being sought on both the vehicle
liability and employee records issues before continuing
negotiations.
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George's Hideaway Provides Lodging,
Rest and Relaxation |
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 Located
past four winding miles of luscious West Tennessee
countryside on Highway 140 toward Como is "George's
Hideaway", nestled into a nook of property owned by
Randy and Audrey Hiatt.
Originally started with walnut, cherry and ash railroad
ties purchased at discount after the railroad began
using only oak ties, the log cabin was built by Audrey's
father, George Metzler, who lived in the cabin with his
wife Vera for some 20 years.
Over the winter, Randy and Audrey renovated the cabin to
provide a relaxing alternative to hotel accommodations
for families with visiting relatives or for anyone who
wants to get away to the peace and quiet provided by
George's Hideaway's rural setting.
 The
small, one bedroom, one bath cabin includes a living
room, country kitchen and dining room combined, and a
screened-in porch from which it is not uncommon to see
wildlife like wild turkeys and deer, the Hiatts say.
A picnic basket is ready to pack, and miles of trails
over the Hiatt's 80 acres beckon the adventurous sort,
while a pond stocked with catfish is not too far away.
Between July and August, blue berries "as big as
nickels" are ripe for picking. In winter, a fireplace
complements traditional heating to create a romantic or
cozy ambiance.
Linens and towels as well as kitchen utensils are
provided; all that is needed are groceries to suit ones'
own tastes and an agenda that includes time away from
bustling crowds.
The couple's future plans for the retreat include the
addition of horse stalls and pasture accommodations for
equine enthusiasts.
For more information about George's Hideaway, call Randy
and Audrey at 731-243-7237.
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These
stories and more exclusively in the
print edition: |
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- Voyage of Historic WWII Ship Features McKenzian
- Dogs Continue to Plague Hollow Rock Residents
- Bredesen Signs Historic Lottery Bill
- Gleason Native to be Inducted into Michigan Hall
of Fame
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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